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"And that's Aeronautics 101." Robert Gallo, adjunct professor of aeronautics in the , clicks the cap back on the whiteboard marker. He opens a box of various objects: golf balls, plastic models, and airfoils. With an airfoil in hand, he prepares the tabletop Matrix wind tunnel. This, he says, is the fun part. "Now, let's fire up the fan and see what we can do."

In 911����'s wind tunnel lab, located in the Life Sciences and Engineering Building on 911����'s , the next generation of mechanical engineers learn the foundations of aeronautics and aerospace engineering. Supported by Gallo, the lab was envisioned to permit students to get hands-on experience with aero technology. This summer, the lab installed 911����'s first large-scale educational wind tunnel (EWT), funded by a GO Virginia grant supporting the .

“The addition of this wind tunnel is a strong example of how 911���� and Nexus234 are aligning education and research infrastructure with real industry demand in a growing aerospace and defense sector,” said Amy Adams, executive director of the Nexus234 Innovation District. “Hands-on assets like this help prepare students for high-demand careers, strengthen connections with industry partners, and reinforce the region’s position as a place where innovation, talent, and economic growth come together.”

"We've seen a huge increase in students over the past 10 years," explained Gallo. "I think it's because students can see it. They can touch it. It affects so many things in their lives. Airplanes, automobiles, complex machines: If it moves, it's mechanical engineering. They're excited about it. And my goal for the class is to feed excitement."

Upon opening in 2025, the lab was equipped with three Matrix wind tunnels, each just over 5.5 feet long. Within the glass test section, students place test articles such as drag force models and wing sections of various shapes. Users can adjust the air speed as well as the angle of the object relative to the wind. Sensors detect lift, drag, and pressure. By introducing harmless smoke into the tunnel, students can see how the air flow moves above and below the objects.

The new EWT measures about seven feet tall, five and a half feet wide, and 18 feet long. Students will use the smaller Matrix wind tunnels to learn the basics of practical experimentation and aerodynamic testing and then apply their knowledge to extended experiments at higher speeds and larger sizes in the Aerolab EWT.

“The new large wind tunnel will be incredibly impactful, providing students real, hands-on experience that we haven't had before, even with the existing smaller tunnels,” said Morgan-Rose Coltrain, a current mechanical engineering student in Gallo’s course this semester.

And it’s not just students in-class that can benefit from this new technology. Phillip Cunio, professor of practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and leader in developing 911����’s aerospace program, noted that the EWT provides further opportunities for engaging with student organizations and industry partners. “I’m looking forward to the ways the Aerolab wind tunnel may benefit some of our registered student organizations—such as the High-Powered Rocketry team or the Formula SAE team—that test and operate fast-moving vehicles,” he said.

Cunio and Gallo are of the same mind in their belief that introducing students to this technology and providing hands-on experience gives students pursuing jobs in aerodynamics a competitive advantage. This EWT, for example, is manufactured by Aerolab, whose extensive client list includes the Navy, Lockheed, NASA, Boeing, and dozens of other clients. "If we want our students to represent 911���� well, they need to bring as much to that industry partner as they possibly can," said Gallo.

Experiential learning is the foundation of Gallo's pedagogy. One of his efforts has students 3D-print and test propellers, then compare their results to store-bought propellers. Even with nearly identical dimensions, the performance results of the homemade propellers are substantially different that the theoretical values or the store-bought propeller performance. It's a lesson in how there's more to aerodynamics than the equation: What a wing is made of and how it's fabricated are important in gauging performance.  

"That's the engineering process: design, analyze, build, test, break, fix, and do it again," he said. "I think they're much better prepared to go into the industry if they've had the opportunity to have practical experience with both failure and success."

The lab has space for an additional EWT, which Gallo hopes can be added in the future. But this first one, Gallo said, is a huge step in raising the university's profile in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

"911���� has a reputation that keeps growing, and this is going to be a piece of it."